Sailimg With Byron from Genoa to Cephalonia

DONALD PRELL

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Sailing with Byron
from Genoa to Cephalonia

Sailing with Byron from
Genoa to Cephalonia (1823)

♦♦♦♦♦

DONALD B. PRELL

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Strand Publishing

Copyright © 2009 by Donald B. Prell
2 nd Edition 2011
All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

I. Prell, Donald B., 1924-

II. Title: Sailing with Byron from Genoa
to Cephalonia (1823)

Published and printed in the United States by:

Strand Publishing
P.O. Box 1927
Palm Springs, CA 92263

ISBN 0-9741975-5-6

Cover: English Merchant Brig heeling to the wind
Attributed to Robert Salmon (1775-1844)

Contents

Sailing with Byron 1-20

Appendix 1 (Charter of the Hercules) 21-27

Appendix 2 (Spanish Dollar) 28

Appendix 3 (Line plan of a Dingy) 29

Appendix 4 (Line plan of a Collier Brig) 30

Appendix 5 (Abstract from Survey) 31

Photograph of a Merchant Brig aground 32

Ship Plan (Drawn by D. B. Prell) 33

Sailing with Byron from Genoa
to Cephalonia (1823)

Early in June of 1823, Lord Byron instructed his banker, Charles
F. Barry, to charter a ship to take him from Genoa to Greece. 1 By
June 18 th , Barry with the assistance of Captain Roberts, had
settled for a vessel in the port of Genoa, which bore the name
Hercules. 2

I have engaged our Northern friend for Two Hundred &
Thirty Pounds. He promises to make a great many
alterations & in fact to do everything you can wish to
have done 3

Although the Hercules was already committed for a trip
to Leghorn, its Captain promised it would be available as soon
as it returned to Genoa, which occurred the end of June.
Edward Trelawny, who had been invited by Byron to join him on
the voyage, immediately began to supervise the construction of
stalls on the ship to hold the horses Byron planned to take with
him to Greece.

The 138 ton Hercules was a small ship relative to other
Brigs constructed in the early 1800s. Its skipper, Captain J.
Scott made alterations to the ship for Byron's accommodations
but modifications to other cabins were to be at Byron's own cost.
The cost of constructing the stalls for the horses was to be
reimbursed by Byron.

Count Pietro Gamba described the departure from Genoa
in his 1825 Narrative:

On the 13 th of July we were aboard: Captain
Trelawny, the physician, eight domestics, and myself
formed his suite. Lord Byron had likewise given passage

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

to a Greek named Schilitzy, of Constantinople, coming
from Russia. We had five horses aboard, arms and
ammunition for our own use, two one-pounders,
belonging to his schooner the Bolivar, which he left at
Genoa. The uncertainty of the course he was about to
pursue, and the information he had received from
various quarters, induced him to carry his supplies in
specie. He had ten thousand Spanish dollars 4 , in ready
money, and bills of exchange for forty thousand more.
There were, likewise some chests of medicine sufficient
for a thousand men for a year.s

Boarding the Hercules:

Lord Byron

Count Pietro Gamba

Edward John Trelawny

Dr. Francesco Bruno (a recently graduated physician)
Prince Constantine Skilitzy (Schilitzy, Schilizzi)
Benjamin Lewis (Trelawny's American Negro groom)
William Fletcher (Byron's valet)

Lega Zambelli (a defrocked priest, Byron's Maestro di Casa)

Giovanni Baltista "Tita" Falcieri (Byron's gondolier)

Vincenzo Papi (Byron's coachman)

3 to 4 other unnamed servants

Byron's Bulldog Moretto

Byron's Newfoundland Lyon

Trelawny's Hungarian cavalry horse

Byron's four horses (one of which was Lady Blessington's

Mameluke)

The full complement of passengers and crew were
waiting for wind to take them on their way to Leghorn, but
there was only a dead calm. According to Count Gamba,
"Byron went on shore with Barry, his banker, and Mr.
Trelawny, to the Lomellina, one of the most beautiful villas in
the environs of Genoa, about six miles from the city. Lord
Byron dined with us there, under a tree, on cheese and fruit."
They slept aboard the ship.

2

SculCng^ with/Byron/

Gamba's account of July 15 th :

We were able to clear the port about sunrise. We
remained in sight of Genoa during the whole day. The
weather was delightful, the sun scorching, and the wind
light. We enjoyed the sight of the magnificent
amphitheatre, which Genoa presents to the view at some
distance from land. Towards midnight a strong westerly
wind arose; we made head against it for three or four
hours, but in the end the captain was obliged to steer
back to the port of Genoa. The horses, unaccustomed to
the sea, and badly accommodated, caused us serious
inconvenience. They broke down their divisions, and
kicked each other. We re-entered the port at six in the
morning. Lord Byron passed nearly the whole night on
deck. Those of his suite who were not affected with
seasickness assisted him in his endeavours to prevent
greater mischief amongst the horses. He did not feel
himself unwell till towards morning, when we entered
the port. I was half dead with sickness the whole night.
When able to rise, he said to me, "You have lost one of
the most magnificent sights I ever beheld. For a short
time we were in serious danger; but the captain and his
crew did wonders. I was the whole time on deck. The
sight is not new to me, but I have always looked upon a
storm as one of the sublimest spectacles in nature." He
appeared thoughtful, and remarked, that he considered a
bad beginning a favourable omen.

The whole day was spent in repairing damages. His
Lordship wishing to visit his palace at Albaro, which he
had left in the care of his banker, I accompanied him.
His conversation was somewhat melancholy on our way
to Albaro; he spoke much of his past life, and of the
uncertainty of the future. "Where," said he, "shall we be
in a year?" It looked like a melancholy foreboding; for on
the same day of the same month, in the next year, he was
carried to the tomb of his ancestors. 6

3

SculCng^ wCth/Byron/

Trelawny's account of July 15 th :

On the 15 th we weighed anchor at daylight, several
American ships, in compliment to Byron, sending their
boats to tow us out of the bay, but made very little
progress; we lay in the offing all day like a log upon the
main under a broiling sun, — the Italians skipping
about, gesticulating, and chattering like wild monkeys in
a wood. The Pilgrim sat apart, solemn and sad, — he
took no notice of anything nor spoke a word. At midnight
the sea breeze set in and quickly freshened, so we
shortened sail and hauled our wind. As soon as the old
tub began to play at pitch and toss, the noisy Italians,
with the exception of the Venetian gondolier, Battista,
crept into holes and corners in consternation. The horses
kicked down their flimsy partitions, and my black groom
and I had to secure them, while the sea got up and the
wind increased. I told Byron that we must bear up for
port, or we should lose our cattle — "Do as you like," he
said. So we bore up, and after a rough night, re-anchored
in our former berth; as the sun rose the wind died away,
and one by one the landlubbers crawled on deck. Byron,
having remained all night on deck, laughed at the
miserable figure they cut; they all went on shore, and I
set to work with two or three English carpenters to repair
damages. In the evening we took a fresh departure, and
the weather continuing fine, we had no other delay than
that which arose from the bad sailing qualities of our
vessel. 7

Averaging only twenty miles per day it took five days to
reach Leghorn, on the afternoon of July 21 st . Then two more
days to complete taking stores on board, which included ample
feed for the five horses for the anticipated ten to fifteen days of
sailing.

Two additional passengers now boarded the ship.
Captain George Vitali, who had been granted passage to Greece
by Byron and a Scotsman, James Hamilton Browne, a man with
strong Hellenic sympathies who had asked to join Byron's

4

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

entourage. Browne was knowledgeable about the Ionian
Islands and it was on his recommendation that Byron decided
to sail to Cephalonia instead of Zante.

An engaging account of the voyage is Browne's
Narrative. This appeared in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine
in January of 1834. That it was never republished in book
form, for the enjoyment of a wider audience, is a pity.

I was accompanied to the ship, riding at anchor in
the Roads, by Messers Jackson and Lloyd, who departed
immediately after seeing me safe on board, as I was
apprehensive that Lord Byron might have conceived that
they had come for the purpose of catching a glimpse of
him. He put to me some interrogatory relative to them,
regretting that I had hurried them off.

His Lordship's mode of address, was peculiarly
fascinating and insinuating — "au premier abord" it was
next to impossible for a stranger to refrain from liking
him.

The contour of his countenance was noble and
striking; the forehead, particularly so, was nearly white
as alabaster. His delicately formed features were cast
rather in an effeminate mould, but their soft expression
was in some degree relieved by the mustaches of a light
chestnut, and small tuft "a la houssard," which he at that
time sported. His eyes were rather prominent and full, of
a dark blue, having that melting character which I have
frequently observed in females, said to be a proof of
extreme sensibility. The texture of his skin was so fine
and transparent, that the blue veins, rising like small
threads around his temples, were clearly discernible. All
who ever saw Byron have borne testimony to the
irresistible sweetness of his smile, which was generally,
however, succeeded by a sudden pouting of the lips, such
as is practiced sometimes by a pretty coquette, or by a
spoiled child. His hair was partially grizzled, but curled
naturally. In conversation, owing to a habit he had
contracted of clenching his teeth close together, it was
sometimes difficult to comprehend him distinctly;

5

SculCng^ wCth/Byron/

towards the conclusion of a sentence, the syllables rolled
in his mouth, and became a sort of indistinct murmur. 8

Ready to sail on July 23 rd , it was not until the next day
before the overcrowded vessel was underway. Hugging the
west coast if Italy it took seven days to reach the Strait of
Messina. Having spent days at sea aboard a sailboat with
individuals recently met, I am able to empathize with similar
remarks made by both Browne and Trelawny.

To be in the company with lord Byron, and in almost
constant intercourse with him for a considerable period,
more especially on shipboard, where it is affirmed, you
will in a few days acquire more knowledge of an
individual than from years of previous acquaintance,
was, through the communicativeness of his disposition,
equivalent to an introduction to the whole course of his
life. Although occasionally affecting mystery, he yet
could conceal nothing. 9

You never know a man's temper until you have been
imprisoned in a ship with him, or a woman's until you
have married her. Few friendships can stand the ordeal
by water; when a yacht from England with a pair of these
thus tried friends touches, — say at Malta or Gibraltar, —
- you may be sure that she will depart with one only. I
never was on shipboard with a better companion than
Byron, he was generally cheerful, gave no trouble,
assumed no authority, uttered no complaints, and did
not interfere with the working of the ship; when appealed
to he always answered, "do as you like." Every day at
noon, he and I jumped overboard in defiance of sharks or
weather; it was the only exercise he had, for he could not
walk the deck. 10

Byron's biographers Leslie Marchand and Fiona Mac
Carthy chose bits and pieces from Browne and Trelawny to
weave their own short three-page description of the voyage
from Genoa to Cephalonia.

6

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

From Marchand:

The now much overcrowded vessel pulled out of
the harbor of Leghorn and headed south for the Strait of
Messina. This was Byron's final farewell to Italy, where,
he could now feel, despite his aimlessly drifting course,
he had spent some of the happiest, and certainly the most
productive, years of his life. He was being swept away
toward Greece and an uncertain goal, partly by the
inward compulsion of his own dissatisfaction, but more
perhaps by the inevitable demand of circumstances and
his own fame, which had combined with his weakness to
drive him to do what was expected of him.

But as they passed the white houses and the villas
on the coast, he grew melancholy and remained so for
several days. Perhaps he could see through the olive trees
on the hill at Montenero the salmon-colored Villa Dupuy,
where he had once sat watching the lights of Leghorn
with Teresa. Fortunately he had his own cabin, and
unless he wanted company the others respected his
favorite spot under the awning on deck. In outward
bearing he was companionable enough, though
sometimes moody.

Browne observed that during the passage Byron
chiefly read the writings of Dean Swift, and supposed
that the poet was thus preparing to write another canto
of Don Juan. But, except for occasional letter-writing,
Byron's pen was still now. Browne also noted that he
read Montaigne, Voltaire, Grimm's Correspondence, and
La Rochefoucauld. Byron's dinner, which he usually ate
by himself on deck, consisted, Browne wrote, "of a
considerable quantity of decayed Cheshire cheese, with
pickled cucumbers or red cabbage, which he quaffed
down by drinking at the same time either a bottle of
cider or Burton ale, of which articles he had procured a
supply at Genoa." He sometimes joined the others in
drinking wines or liquors after the siesta, and then he
was in a jovial mood until some painful recollection
seemed to cloud his eyes and, overcome by emotion and
sometimes tears, he would quit the company.

7

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

The Hercules passed between Piombino and Elba,
and, following along the tree-fringed coast, crossed the
muddy mouth of the Tiber within sight of the landmarks
of Rome. When they neared the island of Ponza, on which
the reactionary Neapolitan government had imprisoned
many of the persons who had taken part in the abortive
revolution of 1821, which Byron himself had wished to
join, he "gave vent to his ire, uttering the most
tremendous invectives against Austria. . . ." Seeing him
roused, Trelawny tried to sting Byron into writing a poem
on the occasion. But after trying for a while, Byron said:
"Extemporising verses is nonsense; poetry is a distinct

faculty, — it won't come when called You might as

well ask me to describe an earthquake, whilst the ground
was trembling under my feet."

They approached Stromboli on a clear night.
Byron sat most of the night watching it, exchanging with
Trelawny and Browne ghost stories suggested by the
strange phenomenon. Though Browne noted Byron's
penchant for superstitions, Trelawny was inclined to
think that this was only a pose. He recorded that "he took
such pains to convince me he was superstitious — that I
am convinced he was not." As Byron went down to his
cabin in the morning, he said to Trelawny: "If I live
another year, you will see this scene in a fifth canto of
Childe Harold."

By the time the Hercules reached the Ionian Sea,
Byron's spirits had improved considerably. He easily
established a camaraderie that was pleasing to his
shipmates, particularly to Trelawny and to Browne. There
was no condescension in his manner. In calm or storm he
was always on deck. Trelawny complained that the ship
was "built on the lines of a baby's cradle, and the least
touch of Neptune's foot set her rocking." Byron, however,
"was not at all affected by the motion, he improved
amazingly in health and spirits, and said, 'On shore when
I awake in the morning, I am always inclined to hang
myself, as the day advances, I get better, and at midnight I
am all cock-a-whoop. I am better now than I have been for
years.'" Trelawny concluded: "I never was on ship-board

8

SculCng^ wCth/Byron/

with a better companion than Byron, he was generally
cheerful, gave no trouble, assumed no authority, uttered
no complaints, and did not interfere with the working of
the ship; appealed to, he always answered, 'do as you
like.'"

Byron varied the monotony of shipboard by boxing
with Trelawny or fencing with Pietro Gamba. Pistol-
shooting was a sport he was even more attached to, and at
which he had had more recent practice. Trelawny recalled:
"... empty bottles and live poultry served as targets; a fowl,
duck or goose, was put into a basket, the head and neck
only visible, hoisted to the main yard-arm: and we rarely
had two shots at the same bird." Browne observed that
Byron could be cool under fire, for one day the Greek
Skilitzy, being unacquainted with the hair-trigger guard
on an English pistol, accidentally discharged a ball close
by Byron's temple. "He betrayed no tremor, but taking
the pistol out of Schilizzi's hand, pointed out to him the
mechanism of the lock...."

Every day at noon, Byron and Trelawny, in calm
weather, jumped overboard for a swim without fear of
sharks, which were not unknown in those waters. And
occasionally their exuberance found outlet in boyish
horseplay. Once, according to Trelawny, they let the geese
and ducks loose and followed them and the dogs into the
water, each with an arm in the Captain's new scarlet
waistcoat, to the annoyance of the Captain and the
amusement of the crew.

It may in part have been the spectacle of such
rough practical jokes, and in part also Byron's occasional
outbursts of temper, that frightened the young Dr. Bruno
during his first days on board. Gamba recorded that Dr.
Bruno confessed later to him that "for the first fifteen days
of our voyage he had lived in perpetual terror, having been
informed that if he committed the slightest fault, Lord
Byron would have him torn to pieces by his dogs, which he
kept for that purpose; or would order his Tartar to dash
his brains out." This "Tartar" was, of course, the ferocious-
looking but perfectly harmless and loyal "Tita" Falcieri.

9

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

Byron had a genuine liking for the bluff old
Captain Scott, though on occasion he continued to plague
him. Trelawny, like Byron, delighted in diverting himself
at Scott's expense. According to Browne, Byron's "first
question to him [Scott], on coming on deck in the
morning, was, 'Well, Captain, have you taken your
meridian?' which meant a stiff tumbler of grog; if he had,
he never objected to a second, and Lord Byron almost
invariably joined him in it."

According to Trelawny, Byron acquired another
servant during the passage. He says: "In our voyage from
Italy, Byron persuaded me to let him have my black
servant, as, in the East, it is a mark of dignity to have a
negro in your establishment."

As the Hercules plowed through the Ionian Sea,
Byron's thoughts turned more and more toward the
adventures ahead. Browne recorded: "The Greek Schilizzi,
by way of flattery, used frequently to insinuate that his
countrymen might possibly choose Lord Byron for their
King, as a considerable party were in favour of a
Monarchical Government; this idea did not displease his
Lordship, who said he would perhaps not decline the
offer, if made, adding, 'but we shall retain our own
monies; and then if our appetite disagrees with the kingly
authority, we shall, like Sancho, have the alternative of
abdicating."

On August 2 they sighted the islands of Cephalonia
and Zante. But though the wind drove them toward Zante,
they were determined, on Browne's recommendation, to
land on Cephalonia, and so tacked for that island. When
Byron sighted the mainland of the Morea, he said: "I don't
know why it is, but I feel as if the eleven long years of
bitterness I have passed through since I was here, were
taken off my shoulders, and I was scudding through the
Greek Archipelago with old Bathurst, in his frigate." That
night they got into the shelter of the roadstead, and the
next morning anchored near the town of Argostoli, the
island's capital. 11

10

SculCng^ wCth/Byron/

Remembering that Trelawny's narrative ran 27 pages and
Browne's narrative 11 pages, readers of Marchand and Mac
Carthy are deprived of many meaningful insights regarding
Byron's personality and behavior during the voyage.

Examples from Browne: 12

Lord Byron entertained, or appeared to have im-
bibed, the most violent prejudice against the late Lady
Noel. He shewed himself always affectionately anxious
about the health and welfare of his daughter Ada.
Alluding to her probable large fortune, he expressed a
wish that it had been in his power to inhibit her from
marrying a native of Great Britain — deeming his
countrymen to have a greater propensity to fortune-
hunting than the individuals of other nations— which
might, by an ill-assorted union, tend to her future
unhappiness and discomfort.

Lord Byron adverted, on many occasions, some-
times in a state of the most bitter excitement, to the
unfortunate infirmity of his foot, and the extreme pain
and misery it had been productive of to him. He once
uttered a very savage observation on his lameness,
declaring, that years before he would have caused the
recreant limb to be amputated, had he not dreaded
thereby to spoil an exercise in which he more especially
excelled and delighted.

In the use of the pistol, Lord Byron was exceed-
ingly dexterous, and prided himself much on this trivial
accomplishment, which, by constant practice, may easily
be attained by any person possessed of a calculating eye
and steady nerves. In this, as every thing else, he wished
to carry off the palm; and if he made a shot which he
thought could not be surpassed, he declined to share
farther in the pastime of that day; and if a bad one, he did
not attempt to improve it, but instantly gave up the
contest. His nerves were a good deal shattered; and from
his firing so well even with that disadvantage, it was
evident that, when younger, his aim must have been most
unerring.

11

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

Trelawny was also an excellent shot; and his
Lordship and he occasionally used to kill the ducks for
the cabin dinner in this way — a wicker basket was
suspended from the main-yard of the mast, containing a
poor duck, with his head protruding through it. I have
known both of them, from the poop, to kill the bird by
hitting its head at the first fire. Lord Byron possessed
several cases of excellent pistols; among others, a brace
which had been the private property of his old friend, Joe
Manton; and I was told he never grudged any expense in
procuring those of superior workmanship. He frequently
conversed about his former feats of skill at that
celebrated maker's pistol gallery in London. He also
boasted of having, about the time of his marriage, much
to the amazement and discomfiture of Lady Noel, split a
walking stick in the garden at Seaham House, at the
distance of twenty paces.

His lordship was within an ace of losing his life
during one of these firing matches on board. Schilizzi,
who was unacquainted with the guard on English hair
triggers, inadvertently discharged a pistol, the ball from
which whizzed close past Lord Byron's temple. He
betrayed no tremor, but taking the pistol out of Schilizzi's
hand, pointed out to him the mechanism of the lock, and
at the same time desired Gamba to take care, that in
future he should not be permitted to use any other pistols
than those of Italian workmanship.

Dinner was the only regular meal which he
[Byron} partook of in the twenty-four hours. He usually
eat it by himself on deck. His diet was very singular, and,
in my opinion, almost could have been devised more
prejudicial to health in the intense heat of summer,
under a blazing Italian sun. It consisted of a consider-
able quantity of decayed Cheshire cheese, with pickled
cucumbers or red cabbage, which he quaffed down by
drinking at the same time either a bottle of cider or
Burton ale, of which articles he had procured a supply at
Genoa. He sometimes drank an infusion of strong tea.
But ate nothing with it but a small piece of biscuit; and

12

SculCng^ with/Byron/

occasionally his fare at dinner was varied by a little fish,
if we succeeded in taking any.

We enjoyed the most serene and beautiful
weather during this voyage. In passing, the vessel
approximated Porto Ercole and Piombino, the splendid
scenery around which was much admired by Lord Byron;
he was always on deck to view the magnificent spectacle
of the sun setting over the vast expanse of waters, on the
brilliant horizon peculiar to the East of Europe, and we
coasted it along from Leghorn to Reggio, hardly ever
being out of sight of land in the daytime. When opposite
the mouth of the Tiber, we exerted all our power of vision
to discern the cupola of St Peter's at Rome, which,
however, was not visible through the vapour arising from
the dark and dense forests which fringe the shore of the
pestilential Maremma; but we could distinctly see
through the glass the town of Albano, situated on the
brow of the Alban Mount, and the magnificent range of
mountains behind the isolated Mount Soracte, placed
just over Rome, was also descried.

Lord Byron frequently boxed with Trelawny as an
amusement, and practised fencing with Count Gamba; he
was not particularly dexterous at the foils, but excelled in
the other, but he could not keep up the exercise long,
which had become too violent for him.

Lord Byron and Trelawny also often bathed from
the ship's side in calm weather; neither of them betrayed
any apprehension from sharks, which, however, are by no
means of rare occurrence in the Mediterranean, as I
remember, in 1817, having been told by a young
midshipman, named Hay, then at Corfu, in a sloop of war,
that when he was almost in the very act of leaping from
the bowsprit of the vessel, which was riding at anchor
between that town and the island of Vido, one of these
ravenous monsters of the deep was descried close
alongside, and an alarm given just in time to prevent him.

On our nearing the Island of Ionza, in which
Neapolitan prisoners of state are usually confined, which
was then crowded with those unhappy persons who had
engaged in the unsuccessful attempt at revolution in

13

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

1821, Lord Byron gave vent to his ire, uttering the most
tremendous invectives against Austria, and the tyranny
exercised by that nation over the minor powers of Italy;
and recounted to me the history of the once expected
rising of the Papal dominions, which should have taken
effect when he resided at Ravenna, and in which he
might have been called upon to act a prominent part; this
insurrection was checked by the rapid march on Naples
of the Imperialists, under Baron Frimont. It was not to
be regretted that his Lordship had not found an
opportunity of assisting in any revolt in Italy, which
could only have ended in defeat and disgrace. In my
opinion, the success of any revolution in that country is
exceedingly problematical, being composed of many
petty states, with opposite interests, which are extremely
jealous of each other, or rather, I should say, are
animated by mutual hate, so no union can be looked for.
A partial ebullition of popular feeling may from time to
time take place; but as long as no grand combination
exists, or the enterprise is not supported by some great
and victorious power, the cause is hopeless, and can only
lead to useless bloodshed.

Lord Byron sat up nearly all night watching
Stromboli: it was, however, overcast, and emitted no
flame. This was considered singular, as the volcano is
supposed to be in constant activity, and always ejecting
matter. He narrated to me the extraordinary story of the
affidavit made by the crew of a British ship, who deposed
that they had witnessed the apparition of a man, well
known to them, borne through the air by two other
figures, and cast into the crater of Stromboli. This raised
a long discussion, with many arguments, in regard to
superstition in general, and tales of specters, to a belief in
which Lord Byron either was, or affected to be thought
prone.

He often contended in favour of the Oriental
custom of secluding females, and teaching them only a
few pleasing accomplishments, affirming the learned
education lavished so frequently in England on the sex,
only served to turn their heads with conceit, and look

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SculCng^ wCth/Byron/

with contempt on domestic duties; that the Greeks were
sensible people in not allowing their daughters to be
instructed in writing, as it taught them to scribble billets-
doux and practise deception. Had he to choose a second
wife, he would select one born in the East, young and
beautiful, whom he alone had been permitted to visit,
and whom he had taught to love him exclusively, but of
her he would be jealous as a tiger.

Lord Byron could scarcely be serious in such a
strange idea, and perhaps was but mystifying some of our
party. He used to indulge in many mirthful sallies about
his increasing love of money; when he possessed little, he
said that he was extremely profuse, but now that his
fortune had been so much augmented, he felt an
irresistible inclination to hoard, and contemplated with
delight any accumulation. From this propensity he
augured that a prediction once made in respect to him
would be forthwith fulfilled, viz., that he would die a
miser and a methodist, which be said he intended should
also be the denouement of Don Juan.

We had some diverting scenes with our Captain
during the passage. It was discovered that Vitali, one of
the Greek passengers, had contrived to bring on board
some cloth and other articles of merchandise, which he
no doubt intended to smuggle into the Ionian Islands.
The discovery arose from a ridiculous circumstance. A
most abominable stench was observed by the captain to
proceed from a large trunk amongst the luggage, but he
did not know the owner of it; at last he ordered it to be
brought upon deck and said, if no one claimed it, he
would throw it overboard. Vitali then rushed forward in
defence of his property.

The captain insisted on its being opened; Vitali,
after many wry faces, produced the key, and behold a
most disgusting spectacle presented itself to our aston-
ished optics, in the shape of a roasted pig, in a state of
decomposition. The captain was so enraged at the sight,
that, with great difficulty, Vitali prevented his cloth from
following the pig, which was instantly thrown overboard.

Vitali had perhaps thought that he was to find his

15

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

own provisions, calculating on a short passage, reserved
the poor little grunter for a bonne bouche on landing.
This sordid behaviour, so unexpectedly brought to light,
alienated Lord Byron, who had become rather partial to
the copper captain, as he called him; and Scott was
instructed, on our arrival in Cephalonia, to make a
declaration to the customhouse regarding the cloth, for
which Vitali, much to his annoyance, had to pay duty.
The captain after this could not endure Vitali. Lord
Byron dearly loved a practical joke, and it was insinuated
to Scott that the Greek was addicted to certain horrible
propensities, too common in the Levant. The look of
horror and aversion with which Scott then regarded the
poor man was indescribable, swearing at the same time,
and wondering how such a scoundrel could dare to look
any honest man in the face.

Examples from Trelawny:^

A balmy night at sea, almost as light as day, without
its glare. Byron, sitting in his usual seat by the taffrail, had
been for hours "chewing the cud of sweet and bitter fancy; "
if a tropical night like this can't soothe a lacerated mind
nothing but death can; all hands were asleep, but the
helmsman and mate keeping watch.

BYRON: If Death comes in the shape of a
cannonball and takes off my head, he is welcome. I have no
wish to live, but I can't bear pain. Don't repeat the
ceremony you went through with Shelley — no one wants
my ashes.

TRE.: You will be claimed for Westminster Abbey.

BYRON: No, they don't want me— nor would I have
my bones mingled with that motley throng.

TRE,: I should prefer being launched into the sea,
to the nonsense of the land ceremonies.

BYRON: There is a rocky islet off Maina — it is the
Pirates' Isle; it suggested the "Corsair." No one knows it;
I'll show it you on the way to the Morea. There is the spot I
should like my bones to lie.

TRE.: They won't let me do so without you will it.

16

SculCng^ wCth/Byron/

BYRON: I will, if you are with me when I die;
remind me, and don't let the blundering, blockhead
doctors bleed me, or when I am dead maul my carcass — I
have an antipathy to letting blood. My Italians have never
lost sight of their homes before, they are men to look at,
but of no use under any emergency — your negro is worth
them all.

TRE.: But you have your ancient page, Fletcher.
Byron said, smiling, "He is the worst of them, grunting
and grumbling all the morning, and fuddled at night. They
say the bones harden with age — I am sure my feelings do;
nothing now that can happen can vex me for more than
twenty-four hours."

The Poet had an antipathy to everything scientific;
maps and charts offended him; he would not look through
a spy-glass, and only knew the cardinal points of the
compass; buildings the most ancient or modern he was as
indifferent to as he was to painting, sculpture, and music.
But all natural objects and changes in the elements he was
generally the first to point out and the last to lose sight of.
We lay-to all night off Stromboli; Byron sat up watching it.
As he went down to his cabin at daylight, he said — "If I live
another year, you will see this scene in a fifth canto of
'Childe Harold.'"

In the morning we entered the narrow strait of
Messina, passed close by the precipitous promontory of
Scylla, and at the distance of a mile on the opposite shore,
Charybdis; the waters were boiling and lashed into foam
and whirlpools by the conflicting currents and set of the
sea; in bad weather it is dangerous to approach too near in
small craft. The Poet had returned to his usual post by the
taffrail; and soon after Messina was spread out before us,
with its magnificent harbour, quays, and palaces; it was a
gorgeous sight, and the surrounding scenery was so
diversified and magnificent, that I exclaimed —

"Nature must have intended this for Paradise."

"But the devil," observed the Poet, "has converted it

into Hell."

After some deliberation, the wind blowing fresh
and fair, we reluctantly passed the city, and scudded

17

SculCng^ wCth/Byron/

through the Straits along the grim and rugged shores of
Calabria; at 2 P.M. we got into the vortex of another
whirlpool, and the conflicting winds, currents, and waves
contending for mastery, held us captive. Our vessel was
unmanageable, and there we lay oscillating like a pendu-
lum for two hours close to the rocks, seeing vessels half-a-
mile from us scudding by under double-reefed topsails.

The spell broken, we resumed our course. On passing a
fortress called the Faro, in the narrowest part of the Strait,
we had a good view of Mount Etna, with its base wreathed
in mists, while the summit stood out in bold relief against
the sky. To the east we had the savage shores of Calabria,
with its grey and jagged rocks; to the west the sunny and
fertile coast of Sicily,— gliding close by its smooth hills
and sheltered coves, Byron would point to some serene
nook, and exclaim, "There I could be happy!

Count Gamba wrote: "Nothing happened during our
voyage. Lord Byron enjoyed excellent health, and was always in
good spirits. On the morning of the 3d of August we cast anchor
in Argostoli, the principal port of Cephalonia/'^

One final excerpt from Browne's Narrative, which was to
trigger a memory and the solution to a 150-year-old mystery.

I hope that I shall be excused mentioning a trait of
the most marked kindness and condescension in Lord
Byron towards myself. When at Cephalonia, I was engaged
to dine either at Colonel Napier's, or the mess of the 8th
regiment. After having dressed in the cabin, I came on
deck, and requested the favour of Captain Scott's directing
one of his men to put me ashore. The skipper, however,
who occasionally indulged in deep potations, and was at
these times very surly and insolent, refused the use of the
boat. Lord Byron, who, the skylight being off his cabin, had
overheard our conversation, instantly made his
appearance, and going over the side into a small punt,
which belonged to the yacht he sold to Lord Blessington at
Geneva, prepared it, and returning on deck, addressed me,
saying, "Now, Browne, allow me to conduct you""

I remonstrated; the day being excessively hot, and

18

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

the boat too small for me to assist in rowing it.

"Never- mind," he rejoined; "I insist upon it, you
shall accept my offer."

Scott, who stood by growling like a bear, amazed,
then proffered his own boat.

Lord Byron exclaimed, "No! Captain Scott, Mr
Browne is my guest, and I wish him and every other
gentleman on board to be treated with the same respect as
myself. He shall not accept it after your behaviour."

And the matter ended in his rowing me ashore in
his own diminutive skiff; and after having done so, he
instantly regained the ship.^

Some years ago, whilst researching details relating to
Shelley's boat (the Don Juan) I was able to correct a mislabeling
of boats by H, Buxton Forman in his Letters of Edward John
Trelawny. 16 Trelawny, in his February 5, 1822 letter to Captain
Roberts, ended his instructions to build for Byron (1) the
Bolivar (2) a 17 or 18 foot tender for the Bolivar — with (3)
"Should you think in addition to this a little dinghy would be
necessary for Lord B., build it!" 1 ? I have often wondered if
Roberts had acted on Trelawny's request for a little dingy to be
constructed. Upon reading Browne's Narrative, I knew that it
not only had been built, but it was with Byron when he landed at
Cephalonia.

In examining the inventories listing Byron's effects, and
not finding a dingy, I have concluded that Fletcher, Trelawny
and others missed it. It must have been a well-built, fine little
skiff (Appendix 3) , therefore I have decided it could still be in
use. If it is there, it will surely speak to me as I search the
shoreline on my next visit to Missolonghi.

1 In September of 2008, 1 located the original Charter in the George
Gordon Byron Collection, part of the Manuscript Collection at the
Harry Ransom Research Center (University of Texas at Austin). The
Charter came to the University in 1925, bound in a volume of
manuscripts (Letters V), a part of the Miriam Lutcher Stark Library.

19

SculOng^ wCth/Byron/

Since the Charter had not been transcribed, my wife and I did so
early in 2008 (see Appendix 1).

2 Lloyds Register of Shipping for 1823 has an entry for a vessel named
Hercules whose master was J. Scott. Built in Sunderland (England)
the vessel was completed in 1815 and was owned by a firm named
Russell & Company. She received an A-i classification in 1821.
Sunderland Museum has an index card with the following
information: Hercules - Dryden Trotter - Launched 1815 - Brig -
138 tons - Lloyds 1851-2 H287. According to a survey made in 1847
the vessel was: Length aloft 65.4' Extreme Breadth 19.7' Depth of
Hold 11.6' (see Appendix 4 & 5). It is an interesting coincidence that
the same year the Hercules was built, Lord Byron and Lady Ann
Isabella Milbank were married at Seaham Hall, a village only a few
miles north of the Sunderland shipyards.

3 Leslie A. Marchand, Byron - A Biography, (New York: Alfred A.
Knopf, 1957) p. 1077.

4 The Spanish Dollar (also known as the piece of eight or the real de a
ocho) is a silver coin that was minted in the Spanish Empire after a
Spanish currency reform in 1497. It was used widely in Europe, the
Americas and the Far East, becoming the first world currency in the
late 18 th Century (see Appendix 2).

s Pietro Gamba, A Narrative Of Lord Byron's Last Journey To
Greece, (London: John Murray, 1825) pp. 9-10

6 Ibid., pp. 11-13

7 Edward John Trelawny, Records of Shelley, Byron, and the Author,
(New York/London, Benjamin Blom, 1878 reissued in 1968) pp. 79-81.

8 James Hamilton Browne, Voyage from Leghorn to Cephalonia
(Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, January 1834) pp. 56-57

9 Ibid., p. 59

10 Trelawny, pp. 94-95

11 Marchand, pp. 1095-1099

12 Browne, various pp.

13 Trelawny, various pp.

14 Gamba, p. 17
x s Browne, p. 65

16 Donald B. Prell, The Sinking of the Don Juan Revisited, Keats-
Shelley Journal (Volume LVI, 2007) pp. 139-140

17 H, Buxton Forman, Letters of Edward John Trelawny, (London,
Henry Fowde, Oxford University Press, 1910) p. 1-2.

20

: ii y% ,^ ^ ^> -y- ^

4f *mL£3

*2

7^ \

This Charterparty or agreement
made/ between/ the fit. Hon/, hie Lord/
NoehByroyv of the one part and/
John/ Scott, Matter of the good/ 3<ogp
or vessel cal[L]ed/the Hercules of the
adAnea4Mrementofl39 - Tons or thereabouts
on/ the other part

Witnesseth,

That the said/ Vessel/ beings
light staunch strong' and/ In/ every
way fit for the voyage/ herein/ after
mentioned/ beinxg^ navigated/ ajzaordlnxg^
to- law w insufficient complement
of Men&c boys £r being- a/ first
class VeMel standing- A 1 at
Lloyd<s vs hereby engaged/ by His
Lordship for two- months for a/
voyage/ to- the Qveeh Islands or
elsewhere at H is Lordships pleasure
he paying' to- the sold/ Matter
the sum/ of Two- Hundred/ &c
thirty Pounds Sterling for the
aseoftheVesseh during the sold/
term/ without any things further
as Vrvmcuge or any other charge

24

I A

7*

except Pilotage/ & fort charges at
the/ different forts they Vessel/
may be/ ordered/ to- to-u/ch/ at-
one/ half of this money to- hey
paid/ In Genoa/ previous- to- they
Vessels sallOnfy £r the/ other half
at they confirmation of tlw time/ for
which/ shey is engaged/. -
It is- further agreed/ that the/
sold/Matter shall at his own/
cost & charge/ lay In a/ sufficient
ttoch of Conten[t] for the/ iMe/of
Hi/S- Lordship &c suite/ a/S well
ass of His Horses- during they
voyage/ & that during they con-
tinuation/ of they term Specified/
They vessel is to- bey wholly at
they disposal of His- Lordship
who- may Load/ on board her

legal

whatsoever A goods or baggage/ hey
may thinh fit £r they Matter
is bound/ to- follow they instructions-
that may bey given to-hlm In
they same/ way & to- all intents-
and purposes ojs if Lord Byron

25

«&*£<**^ "~~^fZ-^

4

were/ absolute/ Owner of the/Vessel.

Th^ further agreed/between/ the/

parties that ay the/ Vessel Oy

now about [X] to- proceed/ to-

Leghorn for the/ purpose/ of

dlschAwginfy part of her cargo-

the/ Matter shall use/ every aUllgence/

£r Speed/ to- return/ to- the/ Pott of

Genoa/ with/ ay little/ delay ay

possstble/ £r until/ hVy arvOvah

On/ the/ said/ port of Genoa/ ( after ~

discharging' hOy goody On/ Leghorn/)

wOth/ hOy said/ Vessel & until he/

Kay reported/ home/ ay to- when/ to-

recelA/e/ on/board/ hOy Lordship

£r to-proceed/ Ommedlately to- Sea/.

The/ said/ term/ of two- months shall

not commence/ to- be/ counted/,

and/ Of from/ any unforeseen/

accident the/ Vessel should/ be/ here/

detained/ at Leghorn or arrOvOng/ A

be/ not fit to-proceed/ to-Sea/

on/ or before/ the/ 20 of July newt

ensuing^ when/ Lord/Byron/

reservey to- hlMVself the/ faculty

of (M^xceUlng/ thOy agreement

altogether ~

26

wm

<Z—£-

C>- V (

r.

y j, y s

,^', t ." A c. — * . **• ^ — «~

v & / «. r ^ ?.y,- y < *"•>■- ~ < ^* >~'~ ^' ' '*. ^<*xf'

- y -■ syiy

y^ -

ItOy further agreed/ that Of
Lord/ By row wish/ tomahe/cvny
atteratOow on/board/ On/ the/ dMpo-
yOtOoyvofthe/CabOny he/ may do-
yo- at hOy own/ ooyt & charge/
but nothing Oy hearOru On/tended/
to- meow that HOy Lordship Oy to-
be/ at any charge/ for atteratOony
about to-be/ made/ by the/ Matter
prOmarOly for hlyown/aAxxmvmodx^am/
but merely for yadh addttuynab
cuxxy-mmxydxxtOorvy ay may be/ yufygetted/
by Lord/Byron/ on/the/ Veyyeby
return/- any etdpervye/ the/ Matter
may be/ put to- On/provOdCng^ proper
ajxxmvm/ydatOon/ for Hory&y w OIL be/
Keunburyed/ by Lord/Byron/

Noel/Byron/

the ifercufes is hired from Leghorn & refreshed
ready for sea on 30th of June from which day
the payment is to commence ~ on the 11th ofjuCy.
1 received from Messrs Wehh & Co for account of
Lord (Byron One hundred Sc'fifteen Tounds SterCing

heing haCf [ ] the hire for two months as

agreed on & further 308 Livres of §enoa for those
expenses fitting up his Lordship's Cabin. J. Scott

27

Appendix 2

Byron took 10,000 Spanish Dollars on board the Hercules
when he left on his voyage to Greece. A chest containing
these coins would have weighed over 600 pounds. The
diameter of the coin is approximately 39 mm. The weight is
approximately 418.5 g (27.12 grams).

28

Appendix 3

29

Appendix 4
Collier Brig about the size of the Hercules.

Appendix 5

Abstract from Survey of the Brig Hercules, April 20, 1847

31

Appendix 6
Photograph of a Merchant Brig aground.

Donald Prell was born in Los Angeles, California, .July 7, 1924. Although his
primary occupation has been as a Venture Capitalist/Futurologist, he has had a
long-standing scholarly interest in two diverse individuals: Edward John
Trelawny and Pierre Laval. His extensive collections of books and other material
by and about these two men are now housed in the Special Collections of two
Universities:

The Edward John Trelawny Collection is in the Special Collections of the
Honnold/Mudd Library, Claremont Colleges, Claremont, California. This
collection contains one of the original Notebooks of Edward Ellerker Williams.
The Pierre Laval Collection is in Special Collections of the UCR Libraries,
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California.
A complete biography of Donald Prell can be found at Wikipedia.org

Strand Publishing

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